Jülich expertise for COP28: "Green" hydrogen in Europe and Africa for a common greenhouse gas-neutral future

Next Thursday, November 30, 2023, the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) will begin in Dubai. The countries will be negotiating the future of the global climate agreement until December 12. A key topic is a sustainable, greenhouse gas-neutral energy supply. Hydrogen plays a major role in this. Prof. Detlef Stolten and Dr. Heidi Heinrichs from the Jülich Institute of Techno-economic Systems Analysis are involved in a side event that also deals with the role of African countries as potential exporters of "green" hydrogen. Title: "Green Hydrogen Pathways in Europe and Africa: Sustainable Cooperation for a 'Net Zero' Economy".

Start

4th December 2023 11:00 AM

End

4th December 2023 12:30 PM

Flyer (PDF): Information / agenda side event "Green Hydrogen Pathways in Europe & Africa

Jülicher Expertise für die COP28: "Grüner" Wasserstoff in Europa und Afrika für eine gemeinsame treibhausgasneutrale Zukunft

Hydrogen is an essential element of the energy supply of the future. This is because it can store surplus electricity from renewable sources, it is relatively easy to transport and it can be converted back into other forms of energy such as heat and electricity. A recent study by the Institute for Techno-Economic Systems Analysis predicts a rapid increase in demand for hydrogen in Germany from 2035 onwards. The systems analysts calculated a domestic demand of 12 million tons of hydrogen - around half of which will have to be imported.

Hydrogen is a key element on the road to greenhouse gas neutrality. It is intended to replace fossil fuels on a large scale, serve as storage for renewable energies, enable mobility and link the various energy sectors with one another. While its use is one option among many in some sectors, it is absolutely essential in some areas of industry. This is particularly true for steel production and the chemical industry, which together are currently responsible for over 40 percent of industrial CO2 emissions.

This is where Africa comes into play: the continent has enormous potential to generate cheap electricity from solar and wind energy - more than it will need for its own requirements. This enables additional expansion of renewable energies in order to export sustainably produced "green" hydrogen. In a project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Institute for Techno-Economic Systems Analysis investigated the techno-economic hydrogen potential of partner countries in West and Southern Africa. The result, the "H2Atlas-Africa", is freely accessible on the Internet (https://africa.h2atlas.de/).